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\t\t\tA rendering of the proposed athletic facility at Bates College in Lewiston. (Courtesy of Bates College)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA rendering of the proposed athletic facility at Bates College in Lewiston. (Courtesy of Bates College)<\/p>\n
Bates College in Lewiston has set a tentative groundbreaking date of May 1 for its $45 million upgrade to the campus\u2019 fitness facility<\/a> after a recent donation pushed the project within steps of its goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n The $10 million donation from Bates alumni Jon and Jocelyn Brayshaw brought the project within $4 million of the $31 million fundraising goal. The college has also committed $14 million toward the project, a Bates College news release stated Thursday.<\/a><\/p>\n The college gained approval from the Lewiston planning board in mid-February.<\/p>\n The new facility will be named the Stoddard Fitness and Well-Being Center in honor of Jocelyn Brayshaw\u2019s parents, Donald and Judith Stoddard, who both died in 2021.<\/p>\n For the Brayshaws, the donation is a personal one. They were part of the group of students that helped start the Bates College Rowing Association, which is now a varsity team.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough most of our time was spent out on the water, we remember how challenging it was to find adequate facilities on campus for off-season or inclement weather workouts,\u201d said Jon Brayshaw in a statement to Bates College. <\/p>\n The upgrade will double the available space in the Alumni Gymnasium and Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building and provide space for new locker rooms, studios for workout classes, more athletic training equipment, coaching offices and programming spaces.<\/p>\n